Blog

· Sheep will graze the vacant lots in Cleveland's St. Clair-Superior area. You're reading this right ? the neighborhood non-profit group is partnering up with a local farm, trucking in sheep to trim the verge au naturale. They still need volunteer shepherds. No, seriously.

· Thousands of kids in Cleveland and Akron's west suburbs are riding their bikes to school this month as part of the Bike to School Challenge. "It is an awe-inspiring sight to see hundreds of bicycles parked in front of these schools," said Scott Cowan, owner of Century Cycles bicycle stores in Rocky River and Medina, which organizes and sponsors the challenge for the schools. "It sends a powerful message about the huge impact youth can have on the community with the simple act of riding a bike."

· As more Clevelanders discover riding a bike can be a fun, healthy way to get around, the city is responding with legislation intended to boost safety. This week, Cleveland City Council considers measures like requiring drivers to give bicyclists at least three feet of clearance space.

· May is Bike Month. It's not too late to represent Cleveland in the national Bike Challenge. You can earn points, prizes and street cred from the cool kids. Download this mobile app that lets you track rides (and how much of a work out you're getting). Get healthier and stop making excuses. May is the month to ride.

· The Peregrine falcon 'couple' who take up residence every year on the 12th floor of the Terminal Tower gave birth to a female chick. Thirty years after these raptors were put on the Endangered Species List, urban habitats like Cleveland's have helped ease them back from the edge (not literally they still live on the ledge?keep up with their progress at the FalconCam).

· In an effort to increase the production of local food, the Cleveland High Tunnel Project will provide a giant hoop house to community gardeners and urban farmers in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Call Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Conservationist Al Norwood at 740-396-2519 (c) or 216-524-6580 for more info or to submit an application.

· Replacing a roof is a crucial time to consider the energy performance of your home. A deeper understanding of how to insulate and avoid moisture has emerged in recent years, making roofs the prime opportunity to find a good return on investment in home weatherization. Hear the details on improving the efficiency of your roof from one of the area's top green architects, Chuck Miller, this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at a free workshop hosted at the Main Cleveland Heights Library by the Home Repair Resource Center.

· Richard Florida, celebrated urban economist, author of "Rise of the Creative Class" and Senior Editor at The Atlantic recognizes the importance of Cleveland's city center population boom. Picking up on the report from Case's Richey Piiparinen that first ran in the PD, Florida has the clarity to note that Cleveland's story is even more impressive than a coastal city. What do you think is the reason for Cleveland's 'real' renaissance? Is it

Young people are less interested in driving and living in the suburbs

Cleveland never lost its great old buildings and its sense of urbanism

E. 4th Street and the Euclid Corridor made it attractive to be downtown